His company, Applied Systems, which carries out nuclear technology research and development, believes it has made significant steps in modifying the tokamak design, the current leading technology for reactors.

Richard Dinan (right) founded Applied Systems in 2014 to develop and research technology. Credit: Applied Systems

Entrepreneur Richard Dinan claims his company is on the brink of a scientific breakthrough in nuclear reactor design, and hopes the technology will one day make interstellar space travel possible.

“We are researching methods of ejecting the hot plasma from the modified tokamak as it has the potential for extremely high exhaust speeds,” said Dinan, author of The Age and former star of structured reality show Made In Chelsea.

“There hasn’t been the same level of funding in as there has been in fission as it cannot be weaponised,” he said.